- Obama got his start in politics by hiring Harvard election expert Thomas Johnson to challenge the nomination papers of his opponents, including the popular incumbent Alice Palmer, a community activist (Palmer is a black woman Ph.D. who founded and presided over Chicago youth groups). Knocking them all off the ballot, Obama ran unopposed. He won.
December 27 1996 to Feb. 3, 1997 Rezko (Rezmar Co.) tenants, mostly poor blacks, had no heat for 5 weeks. There just wasn't enough money to provide heat during that Chicago winter until the City of Chicago sued. Rezmar settled for $100.
January 14, 1997. While the heat was still turned off, Rezmar donated $1000 to the area's newly elected state senator Barack Obama. Did Obama not know what was going on in his district?
- Obama ran for U.S. Congress, but his opponent, the veteran incumbent Bobby Rush, Illinois Black Panther co-founder, cut the largely unknown freshman State Senator down (portrayed Obama as too elitist).
- Back in the Illinois State House. When the Dems took over the senate in 2002 after 26 years of Republican rule, Obama got the glory. The new black Senate Majority leader who had been subject to racial slights for decades decided he was going to make himself a "U.S. Senator" out of Obama. Obama's career was made in one year. He was thrown all of the bills that his fellow Dems had been working on, which many hardworking behind the scenes Senators did not like.
- Announced bid for U.S. Senate. Obama's Dem contender and Republican contender self-destructed. By the time the Republicans came up with the kooky Allan Keyes ("Even Jesus wouldn't vote for Obama"), Obama was a shoo-in.
For more details about the above, except for the Rezko connection (Chicago Sun-Times), see
http://news.houstonpress.com/...
- On to the U.S. Senate where the "glacial" pace wasn't to his liking, although he knew how to curry favor. Even the immigration bill that Teddy Kennedy said was the reason he was supporting Obama is questionable since Obama didn't stick with the compromise.
July 27, 2004, Obama told the Chicago Tribune on Iraq: "There's not much of a difference between my position and George Bush's position at this stage."
From today's front-page New York Times article: "Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role"
Obama joined a bipartisan group, which included Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and Mr. Kennedy, that agreed to stick to a final compromise bill even though it was sure to face challenges from interest groups on both sides. Yet when the measure reached the floor, Mr. Obama distanced himself from the compromise, advocating changes sought by labor groups. The bill collapsed.
To some in the bipartisan coalition, Mr. Obama’s move showed an unwillingness to take a tough stand.
- Announced bid for White House.
During the last Democratic candidates debate in Austin, Texas, Obama told the audience: "I am better."